Agni Purāṇa

67 - Renovation of decayed images

The Lord said:

1. Ishall describe the process of replacing the old images. The priestshould batlıe the images with their ornaments on them. The fixed class of imagesshould be put in a room and the extremely time-worn onesshould be rejected.

2. A broken or mutilated stone (image) (should be cast aside) and a new one the same as the previous oneshould be installed in its place) by the priest after merging the principles according to the process of merging (described earlier).

3. Having made one thousand oblations with thc Narasimha (mantra), the priestshould lift that image. The old image made of woodshould be put into fire and the one made of stoneshould be thrown into water.'

4. The old image made of a mineral or gemshould be carried on a vehicle after covering it with cloth etc. and be discarded in the deep waters of the occan.

5. Itshould be thrown into waters accompanied by the notes of music instruments. Feesshould be paid to the priest.

6. New images of the same size and made of the same materialshould be installed on the same day. One accrues great merit by the renovation of wells, tanks and ponds.

Summary of chapter 67 of the Agni Purāṇa is as follows:

This chapter addresses the ritually sensitive subject of replacing or renovating a divine image that has been damaged, worn, broken, or rendered defective over time. The saṃhāra-vidhi — the withdrawal of the deity's presence from the old image before its disposal — is described as a reverse pratiṣṭhā: the ācārya draws the deity's presence back through the sūtra into the kalaśa, from where it is held in suspension during the renovation period. The disposal of old images is specified according to material: wooden images are to be consigned to fire, stone images immersed in flowing water or the ocean, and metal images cast into the sea. The principle that it is the divine presence rather than the physical material that is sacred — and that presence can be transferred — is affirmed. The replacement image must be installed on the same tithi and nakṣatra as the original, and the deity's presence transferred back with full pratiṣṭhā rites.